Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

PREFACE.
since the Gospel is nothing else but Jesus Christ
himself, still living and breathing in his word, still
doing the works of his divine omnipotence, and suf-
fering whatever human infirmity can suffer— still
teaching on earth the truths of heaven, and forming
for that blessed place the church of the elect which
sojourns here on earth ? Upon which account,
St. Augustine scruples not to say, " That we ought
to hear the Gospel, as if it were our Lord himself
still present; and not to say, ' O how happy were
they who saw him with their eyes here on earth !'
For many of those that saw him, put him to death;
and many of those who never saw him, have believed
on him."
Nay, we even seem to have a very great advantage
above the former. They saw indeed Jesus Christ;
they were witnesses of tlie wonders which he wrought
in all places, and of the good which he did to all
persons—they heard the truths which proceeded out
of his divine mouth, and which he delivered with
that force and energy which is peculiar to God alone.
But what a Counter-balance to all this did they find
in the infirmity of his flesh, in his common and
ordinary way of life, in the ignominies and humilia-
tions to which he subjected himself—the scandal
whereof, followed by that of the cross, was not
yet removed by the glory of his resurrection, and
by all the wonderful works which confirmed the
truth of it in the succeeding ages? But we who
now receive this Gospel of Jesiis Christ, sealed with
the blood of Christ himself, confirmed by his resur-
rection and his glorious ascension, by the mission
and visible operations of his Spirit, by the accom-
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